Age of full democracy in Samoa
Samoa: Age of full democracy was 36 years in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in Samoa, 1990–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of full democracy in Samoa is 36 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 38.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of full democracy in Samoa peaked at 36 years in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1990.
That places Samoa 47th out of 89 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of full democracy in Samoa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1 years | — |
| 1991 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1992 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1993 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1994 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1995 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1996 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1997 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1998 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1999 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2000 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2001 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2002 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2003 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2004 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2005 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2011 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 25 years | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 26 years | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 27 years | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 28 years | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 29 years | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 30 years | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 31 years | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 32 years | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 33 years | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 34 years | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 2025 | 36 years | +2.9% |
Samoa compared with similar countries
- Samoa's 36 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 34.5 years, 1.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Samoa's 36 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 47 years, 77% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of full democracy in Samoa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1992 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
| 1993 | +33.3% | 3 years | 4 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.5 years | 1 years | 10 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.5 years | 11 years | 20 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.5 years | 21 years | 30 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.5 years | 31 years | 36 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
More social development data for Samoa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 17 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 17 (2025)
- Sovereign state gleditsch ward, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, per square kilometre 0.0007 units per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of full democracy in Samoa?
- Age of full democracy in Samoa was 36 years in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 36 years in 2025.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1990.
- How does Samoa rank for age of full democracy?
- Samoa ranks 47th out of 89 countries with data for 2025.
- Is age of full democracy rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Samoa data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of full democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of consecutive years in a full democracy.